Xiao Shu was searching for the lighter; seeing me suddenly jump aside, she knew something unusual was happening again. She stopped what she was doing, silent, quietly observing the movements around us.

After that rustling sound subsided, the bushes returned to their usual quiet, but I remained absolutely certain something was ambushing within them. We had planned to make a fire near the thicket and keep watch through the night. If we didn't flush that thing out, we’d be sitting beside the bushes, hearts pounding, and wouldn't find a moment's peace all night.

So, holding a bundle of dry twigs and dead leaves in my left hand, I gently parted the bushes with my right. My feet moved forward slowly, then settled firmly as I crept sideways toward the spot where the sound had originated. The sky hadn't completely darkened yet, so using the dim twilight, I peered into the dense foliage. I spotted an animal covered in golden fur, crouched beneath the branches, watching us through the gaps in the leaves. Because the surrounding shrubbery obscured the view, it hadn't noticed I had approached from the side.

The creature had a round body, a small head, and its two legs and two arms were positioned separately, one above the other. It was a monkey! I made a gesture to Xiao Shu, placing the back of my right hand on my forehead, imitating Sun Wukong. Xiao Shu understood, giving me an affirmative look, and sat where she was, idly messing with her backpack to draw the monkey’s attention.

This looked like a spy-grade monkey. It must have been watching us for some time, intending to observe our every move in secret. I privately debated the next course of action. To catch it or not? The question circled relentlessly in my mind. If I caught it, then what? Communication was impossible; we couldn't torture it or interrogate it. What use would it be captured? If I didn't catch it, I’d be letting it spy on us from the bushes and pass information to its kin? But if I tried to catch it—could I even succeed? Without tools, without a weapon, how could I tackle a monkey known for its explosive strength while ensuring it wouldn't counterattack and leave me half-dead?

Just as I was caught between two difficult options, Xiao Shu gently shook her head at me, as if to say, "Let it be."

Relief washed over me. I loosened my grip and dropped the handful of dry debris. I turned and returned to Xiao Shu's side. The moment I turned, the monkey in the bushes seemed to sense the movement, making another soft rustling sound. When I looked back again, its golden back had already bolted out of the thicket and was speeding toward the depths of the plain.

"It got away," I said to Xiao Shu, a hint of regret in my voice.

"A big monkey?" Xiao Shu asked.

I nodded, confirming, "The same kind that snatched those two children—a large monkey with golden fur. In a zoo, this breed would probably be called a Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, right?"

Xiao Shu didn't seem too disappointed. While continuing to gather firewood, she replied with a teasing tone, "That’s not certain. It depends on any other features on its body. Some with golden fur, but with a distinctive tuft of long hair on their heads, are called Leaf Monkeys."

"I think that monkey wasn't very professional as a scout," I mused over the encounter. "How can you make noise just by crouching down and draw the enemy's attention like that?"

"Perhaps it’s a rookie. Monkey troops have specialized roles for sentries, but everything takes practice; no one is a master from birth. Maybe next time it will be much more careful about that detail." As she spoke, Xiao Shu had gathered a heap of dry branches into a neat pile.

I combined my small pile with hers, dug a pit in the ground, propped the larger sticks across the opening, stacked the smaller twigs on top of those, creating a solid wood pile. Then, I struck the lighter, used a tiny twig to catch the flame, and got the bonfire started.